Trump May Actually Get Some Democrats to Support GOP Tax Plan After All

Pressure is mounting for some red-state Democrats to support the Senate GOP tax reform bill.

House Republicans have already passed their version of tax reform, and now all eyes are on the upper chamber as Senate Republicans have steadily moved their own tax bill through the legislative process.

Republican senators have passed their bill through the finance and budget committees, with a floor vote possibly happening as early as this week.

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The GOP holds a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate, which makes very little room for defections on the bill. As few as three Republicans declaring opposition to the bill would sink its chances, assuming zero Democrats get behind it.

However, there may be a chance that a Democrat from a deep-red state facing voters next year — of which there are many — may cross party lines and support the GOP tax overhaul.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump gave a speech on tax reform in St. Charles, Missouri, a state he won by over 18 points last year. Missouri is also where Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill is up for re-election in 2018.

This wasn’t the first time Trump has traveled to Missouri to talk taxes and pressure McCaskill. He visited Springfield in August to tout his tax plan as way to “bring back Main Street.”

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In September, the president also visited Indiana, a state he won by a 19-point margin, to promote his tax plan and push Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly to support the agenda. Donnelly also faces re-election next year.

However, Donnelly and McCaskill appear to be some of the least-likely red-state Democrats to vote for the tax package. The senior senator from Indiana claimed the current bill does not do enough for the middle class or prevent jobs from moving overseas.

McCaskill, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, voted against the measure when it passed through her committee earlier this month.

Two other Democrats in Trump country, however, have yet to rule anything out.

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Sens. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have not given an indication of how they will vote, saying they want to wait and see what the final version looks like.

The president won North Dakota by over 35 points and claimed victory in West Virginia by a 41-point margin, capturing every county.

Both Heitkamp and Manchin face re-election next year and have an incentive to support Trump’s agenda.

“We haven’t seen the final version. We think they’re still trying to find ways to get 51 votes,” Manchin stated to reporters, according to The Hill.

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“I’ve been asking all along what is it and I still don’t know what it is. It’s still a moving target,” Heitkamp demurred.

Nonetheless, Republicans believe neither Manchin nor Heitkamp will vote for the final tax package as a means to help the GOP reach the targeted 51 votes, but will only do so if it appears likely it will pass without their help.

The two moderate Democrats oppose lowering the corporate tax rate to 20 percent, a major part of the GOP bill, but both have expressed interest in negotiating. Heitkamp has also criticized the bill for providing what she claims is too much of a tax relief for the wealthiest of Americans.

Neither senator’s office responded to The Western Journal’s request for comment.

According to a report by the The Wall Street Journal, GOP leadership has succeeded in earning the support of previously skeptical Republicans such as Sens. Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, James Lankford and others, quelling the concerns of budget hawks and moderate Republicans who were concerned about the changes to health care regulation.

The ambitious tax plan by Senate Republicans aims to cut taxes by $1.4 trillion over the course of a decade. It also repeals the Obamacare mandate that Americans must purchase health care or else pay a fine, among many other changes to the U.S. tax code.

Jason Hopkins is The Western Journal’s Washington, D.C., correspondent.